I’m pleased to announce several exciting things happening in the community soon. As you read, I would especially like to draw your attention to some recreational and family-friendly events coming up in the next week.

To enjoy some college football this season, the USC Express will be available next Thursday, October 10 for one day only as the Trojans take on the Arizona Wildcats at the L.A. Coliseum. In Placentia, please join me and my staff at the 49th Annual Heritage Festival. I will be riding in the parade next weekend and attending the festivities in the park afterwards. Finally, I would like to thank the wonderful County staff who helped OC Parks secure a grant to fund implementation of our regional bikeway system.

The Board will next convene on Tuesday, October 8 at 9:30am for its regular meeting, located at 333 West Santa Ana Blvd. in Santa Ana 92701. The meeting can also be viewed streaming online here. To view a copy of the agenda electronically, please click here. As a reminder, the County will be closed on Monday, October 14 in observance of Columbus Day and the Board of Supervisors will be dark on Tuesday, October 15.

Sincerely,
Shawn Nelson

Board Updates

Nelson Staff Attends Equal Employment Opportunity Training

On September 25, the Fourth District staff participated in an Equal Employment Opportunity training designed to prevent workplace harassment, discrimination and retaliation. Chairman Nelson and the Board recognize the importance of preventing harassment in the workplace by mandating staff at all levels to attend this extensive EEO training. These trainings are directed by experts in the field striving to establish a harassment-free workplace for all. Finally, the recentralization of Human Resources has been an essential part of this process to ensure compliance and uniform application of federal, state, and local regulations, policies and procedures. It should be clear to all that the Board and County will not tolerate any form of unlawful discrimination, harassment or retaliation.

County of Orange CEO, Mike Giancola, delivers introductory remarks at the EEO training

OC Bike Loop Update - OC Parks receives grant from SCAG

OC Parks was awarded a Sustainability Program grant of $180,000 in planning services by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). This grant will be used to prepare a feasibility study and implementation plan for the remaining segments of the regional bikeway system known as the “Orange County Bicycle Loop.” (Please see photo below)

The OC Bicycle Loop was identified as a high priority project by Supervisor Nelson to improve transportation opportunities in the Fourth District and Countywide. With the SCAG grant funding OC Parks will work with OCTA, OC Flood and various cities and other stakeholders to prepare a comprehensive feasibility study that includes design alternatives and an action plan for closing the remaining gaps in the OC Bicycle Loop.

Orange County Bicycle LoopPlease click on the image above to view a larger version.

Ambulance Contracting Process to be Reviewed

Late last week the process by which the Orange County Fire Authority awards contracts for ambulance services came into question. Emails from a Fire Authority official were revealed to members of the Board of Supervisors that contained language that appeared to give an advantage to incumbent providers. In addition the Board of Supervisors became aware that two separate pre-proposal meetings were held by Fire Authority officials regarding the ambulance proposal process. The separate meetings segregated current ambulance providers from others who do not currently have contracts. During board comments at past Tuesday’s board meeting Supervisor Spitzer raised the issue of the legality and appropriateness of the email and ambulance process as a whole. To that end Supervisor Nelson has directed county attorneys to look in to the legality of the way the Fire Authority has conducted ambulance service selection. The Board of Supervisors will examine and determine an appropriate approach to ensure a fair and transparent contracting process.

Supervisor Nelson at the October 1 Board Meeting

OCTA

USC Football Express Gets Orange County To The Coliseum

Fans can save time and money by taking Metrolink Oct. 10 to Arizona vs. USC

(Courtesy of OCTA)

ORANGE – Football fans are encouraged to ride the USC Football Express Train to and from the Los Angeles Coliseum for the Thursday, Oct. 10 game against the Arizona Wildcats that begins at 7:30 p.m.

The Orange County Transportation Authority, in partnership with Metrolink, is providing special train service to and from the Thursday night game. Because it’s a weekday game, the availability of parking will be limited as opposed to the normal Saturday games, and the start time will make traveling to the Coliseum difficult.

Fans can board the USC Football Express from Orange County Metrolink stations and take it to L.A. Union Station. From there, riders will have a free transfer to the Metro’s light rail lines and will arrive at the Coliseum within minutes, enjoying a hassle-free ride and saving time and money on traffic and parking.

“The USC Football Express is an ideal way for Orange County’s Trojan faithful to make it to the Coliseum and avoid sitting in L.A. rush-hour traffic,” said OCTA Vice Chairman Shawn Nelson, also the Fourth District Supervisor. “This also is a great opportunity for those who don’t regularly take public transit to experience how convenient it can be in Southern California.”

Riders can board the train headed northbound at any station between Oceanside and Norwalk and pay the regular Metrolink fare. The station locations and departure times are below.

No worries. No hassles. You’ll be there quickly and easily. Free transfer…no money required.

From LA Union Station:

Follow the signs and walk toward the Red or Purple lines

Take Red Line toward North Hollywood or Purple Line toward Wilshire/Western (Trains leave every five minutes; travel time is also 5 minutes)

Exit at 7th St/Metro Center Station

From 7th St/Metro Center Station, take Expo Line toward Culver City (Almost there! Trains leave every 10 minutes; travel time is also 10 minutes)

Exit at Expo Park/USC or Expo/Vermont Station and walk one block south to the Coliseum

Your return home begins with LA Metro Rail

From Expo Park/USC or Expo/Vermont Station, take the Expo Line toward 7th St/Metro Center Station (trains leave every 10 minutes)

Exit at 7th St/Metro Center Station

From 7th St/Metro Center Station, take Red Line or Purple Line toward LA Union Station (trains leave every 10 minutes)

Exit at LA Union Station

Continue to Orange County with Metrolink

From LA Union Station:

The USC Football Express will depart LA Union Station one hour and 15 minutes after the game ends and travel south to Oceanside and all points in between.

91 Westbound Lane Widening Project Moving Forward

OCTA and Caltrans continue to move forward on the 91 Westbound Lane Widening Project. Since breaking ground earlier this year, construction crews have relocated utilities, re-striped the mainline, installed concrete safety barriers, cleared and grubbed gore areas, as well as started reconstructing a portion of the Houston Channel located between Euclid Street and Brookhurst Road. During this time, crews have also successfully completed demolition work on five of six westbound overpasses, including at State College Boulevard, Acacia Street, Euclid Street and Brookhurst Road. In the weeks and months to come, crews are scheduled to undertake bridge widening and wall construction work throughout the project area, which spans from approximately State Route 57 to Interstate 5.

Funded by Measure M and Prop 1B, the 91 Westbound Lane Widening Project is the third in a series of improvement projects intended to add capacity and improve operations to the SR-91 Freeway. When completed in late 2015, the project will add a new four mile westbound general-purpose lane as well as realign several on and off-ramps along a key stretch of SR-91 located between State Route 57 and Interstate 5. Anaheim based C.C. Myers, Inc., is the construction contractor on the project. Since December 2010, OCTA and Caltrans have added 18 lane miles to the 91 Freeway in Orange County.

On Thursday September 26th Supervisor Nelson keynoted the monthly Orange County Taxpayers Association (OC Tax) meeting. The audience comprised of business leaders, legislative representatives, elected officials and concerned citizens gathered to hear the latest updates about the state of the county. During his remarks Supervisor Nelson explained the current plans being explored by the Orange County Transportation Authority in regards to the 405 freeway and broke the news that Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 701 which addresses Orange County’s revenue stream from Vehicle License Fees then took several questions from the crowd. For more information on the Orange County Taxpayers Association please visit http://www.octax.org/

Supervisor Shawn Nelson addresses OCTax members

OC Conservation Corps Opens Charter School In Fullerton

On September 27, the Fourth District congratulated Chief Executive Officer Kathryn Muniz Bandoni for the new addition of the Orange County Conservation Corps Charter School located in Fullerton. Corps members are 18-25 year old low-income young adults living in some of the poorest communities in Orange County. The charter school provides their students with small class sizes designed around each student’s learning style and competency level, one-on-one counseling, career planning and real world opportunities. For more information, please visit their website at hireyouth.org or call (714) 956-6222.

On September 26, Lutin Law Group celebrated its one year anniversary and new office location surrounded by supportive friends, family and local dignitaries. Suliana Lutin is an immigrant from Guatemala who is passionate in helping others become citizens of the United States. The new office features Guatemalan inspired décor and strives to provide a welcoming atmosphere for Lutin Law Group’s clientele. Located at 1370 N. Brea Blvd., Suite 215, Fullerton, Ms. Lutin practices immigration and criminal defense law. For more information, please visit her website at lutinlawgroup.com or call (714) 992-5905.

Fourth District staffer, Natalie Wieckert, presented a Certificate of Recognition congratulating Dr. Bruce Albert on the grand opening of Brea Urgent Care. The opening ceremony was attended by Brea Urgent Care staff, close family and friends and local dignitaries. Dr. Bruce Albert spoke of his journey to opening the new urgent care facility and how he promises to provide top-quality service to Brea and the surrounding communities. This brand new facility can be found at 305 W. Central Ave., Brea, CA 92821.

(Left to Right) Dr. Bruce Albert and Nelson Staffer Natalie Wieckert

OC Parks

Dog Friendly OC Parks Facilities

*Dogs must be on a leash at all times. The leash must be no longer than 6 feet. Also, please pick up after your pooch (bacteria from scat washes into our streams and ocean)

Carbon Canyon Regional Park: 4442 Carbon Canyon Road, Brea

Ralph B. Clark Regional Park: 8800 Rosecrans Ave, Buena Park

Ted Craig Regional Park: 3300 North State College Blvd, Fullerton

Heritage Hill Historical Park: 25151 Serrano Road, Lake Forest

Irvine Regional Park: 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange

Laguna Niguel Regional Park: 28241 La Paz Road, Laguna Niguel

Harriet M. Weider Regional Park: 19251 Seapoint Ave, Huntington Beach

Mile Square Regional Park: 16801 Euclid Street, Fountain Valley

O’Neill Regional Park: 30892 Trabuco Canyon, Trabuco Canyon

Peters Canyon Regional Park: 8548 E Canyon View Ave, Orange

Santiago Oaks Regional Park: 2145 North Windes Drive, Orange

Talbert Nature Preserve: 1298 Victoria Ave, Costa Mesa

William R. Mason Regional Park: 18712 University Drive, Irvine

County Commissions and Committees

The 4th District has vacant appointments on the following commissions or committees:

Oversight Board of the Successor to the City Redevelopment Agency (Buena Park and Anaheim)

If you are interested in serving on this Committee, please call Audra Fishel at (714) 834.3440